Transparent
by The Jade Empress
Summary: Kano knew he had realized the problem far later than he should have. The signs had been obvious, but he had been so caught up in the lies he had weaved that reality managed to sneak up behind him and give him a slap to the face. Once again his lies led to a future full of grief, and this time he wasn't sure if he'd be able to fix it...
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys, I'm The Jade Empress, a huge fan of Kagerou Project and the ship KanoxKido. This story was created with the mindset that it would be a three-shot, but now that I actually look at it, it might have to be more that that. I'd love if you could leave me a review, so I know what you think of it!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kagerou Project**

* * *

_Kano knew he had realized the problem far later than he should have. The signs had been obvious, but he had been so caught up in the lies he had weaved that reality managed to sneak up behind him and give him a slap to the face. Once again his lies led to a future full of grief, and this time he wasn't sure if he'd be able to fix it..._

* * *

**Chapter 1**

Apartment 107:

"Oi, Momo," Kano called out from the couch. "Why do you keep glancing at me? If you keep doing that I'll start thinking you have a crush on me."

Momo flushed slightly at the boy's suggestion, "I-I'm not staring at you," she countered defensively. She glanced towards the door that linked the Mekakushi Dan's apartment to the rest of the world before bringing her eyes back to the TV screen. "I was just wondering w-when you thought Danchou would come back."

Although it was not visible to the idol, Kano's jaw clenched tightly at her question. The cat-eyed boy shrugged as he clicked the TV remote to change channels. "I don't know," he replied flatly.

Momo let a few awkward minutes pass before attempting to pursue the conversation. "Aren't you a bit worried though?" She asked hesitantly, not knowing exactly where she stood with this particular founding member of the Mekakushi Dan, seeing as she had only been with them for a month and a half. "It's pouring outside and she hasn't come back since yesterday's fight-"

"-She's old enough to take care of herself," Kano replied without a hint of interest in the conversation. He stood up from his place on the couch and casually stretched his arms. "As you know Seto's already out looking for her." The cat-eyed boy tilted his head in a somewhat knowing fashion, "And as history will prove, our adorable little Danchou will come home when she's ready to come home," and with that Kano strolled out of the living room down the hall to his bedroom.

Momo pursed her lips to keep herself from asking Kano why he was acting so uninterested in Kido's disappearance and locked her eyes on the glitching TV screen. The show that was being aired was some ridiculous reality TV show that she doubted Kano had intended to watch.

"Well I guess I can wait here for Seto and Kido to return…" she muttered to herself sleepily. She took a quick glance at her iPod, which read 9:54 before letting herself sink into the comfy couch and the warmth of her blanket.

* * *

"Come on Kido, please pick up your phone already," Seto mumbled under his breath as he stood shivering under a green umbrella that was no match for the onslaught of rain and the howling wind.

The boy in the green jump suit had been roaming the streets in search of Kido for the past hour and to tell the truth - he was exhausted.

_**BZZZ**_ - his phone vibrated in his hand.

He let out a small sigh of relief thinking it was Kido calling, before answering his cell. There was a few seconds of silence, before he heard an extremely feminine voice speak.

"Uh, hello?"

"Oh Mary-chan, whatsup?" Seto asked, trying to hide the shakiness in his voice.

"Oh Seto!" There was the sound of the phone being dropped and small _eek! _ "Oops! N-no i-it's ok, I got it!" He managed to hear through the phone. A few second passed before Mary managed to untangle the phone cord and put it back to her ear to speak. "W-we were wondering if you had any luck finding Kido," she asked timidly.

"I haven't had much luck," Seto replied sheepishly, as he pushed his dark wet bangs from his eyes.

"W-well don't stay out too long," Mary chimed. "You might get sick, because it's raining pretty hard."

"Sorry 'bout that, I didn't mean to make you worry about me," Seto replied softly, pushing his phone farther up his hood in attempt to prevent it from getting wet. "I'm just worried about Kido."

He heard Mary agree with him through the phone and smiled, despite knowing she would not be able to see it. "I'll try to get back as soon as possible, so don't tire yourself out by trying to stay awake for me, ok?"

"Ok! Just be careful," she replied before hanging up.

Seto sighed as he slowly brought the phone away from his ear.

**BZZZ** - his phone vibrated again and he glanced at it wondering if Mary had hit re-dial on accident.

_**From: Kido**_

_**To: Seto**_

_**Message: Go home Seto, you'll catch a cold.**_

Seto took in a breath of relief when he saw the sender. He quickly scanned his surrounding looking for the elusive green-haired girl, but nothing caught his eye. Seto knew he had to be careful with how he replied, he reasoned if he was too direct she might ignore him.

_**To: Kido**_

_**From: Seto**_

_**Message: The same goes for you**_

Seto clicked send and then continued to watch his phone intently, until the screen lit up.

_**From: Kido**_

_**To: Seto**_

_**Message: I'm fine, I just need some time to think.**_

The brown-eyed boy sighed, typical Kido, she didn't want anyone else to see her when she was upset.

_**To: Kido**_

_**From: Seto**_

_**Message: I don't agree with how he acted, but you know Shuuya was just fooling around. He didn't actually mean what he said. He was just trying to get a rise from you. **_

Seto sent the message, but after a minute or two he received no response. He attempted to wipe his phone's screen off with his sleeve, so he could re-read the message he had sent, but it did not do him much good, because his sleeve was soaked all the way through.

After he managed to get his screen cleared off enough to read his message Seto wanted to mentally face palm. _Why did I mention Kano? _He scolded himself.

The drained boy decided to send another message, but this time he focused one the group as a whole, not just Kano.

_**To: Kido**_

_**From: Seto**_

_**Message: It's practically two day since you left and everyone's really worried about you.**_

He had a hunch that Kido was more likely to respond to this message, because it focused on the Mekakushi Dan's wellbeing as a whole - something he knew she felt responsible for (and yes he felt very bad knowing it would make her feel guilty.)

When Seto glanced up he was startled to see two red eyes looking at him tiredly. Her hood hung limply at her shoulders and the sixteen year old girl appeared to be soaked from head to toe. Other than her purple hoodie, Kido had no protection from the rain whatsoever, and her green hair was plastered to the back of her neck.

"Guess I really am a shitty leader," Kido said, taking a deep breath, "for making you guys worry."

Even through the heavy rain that blurred the space between them Seto could see her red eyes flicker up and down his partially sodden form.

"Ah, don't worry about it," Seto replied lightly, shifting his phone into his pocket. "We all need some time to ourselves."

Kido did not respond to him and chose to look at the concrete beneath their feet, rather than his face.

"...Well we better get you home," Seto said over the pounding rain. "You look like a mess." He held his green umbrella out, so she would be protected from the rain.

Kido looked up and tried to smile, "I could say the same to you." She placed her hand on the pole and pushed it away slightly, so it was covering a third of both of their bodies.

There was a bright flash of lightning against the charcoal colored sky prompting Kido to shut her eyes tightly. "Yeah...Let's go home," she muttered.

* * *

_**To: Mary, Momo, Shintaro, +3 others**_

_**From: Seto**_

_**Message: I found her**_

* * *

**So... If you liked this chapter I would love if you'd write me a review... If you hate what I wrote please tell me why so I can improve ^^**

**Thanks so much**

**-The Jade Empress**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello again, wow already 10 days passed from when I last post *rubs back of head sheepishly.* Gosh that went really fast... Anyway without further ado I present to you Chapter 2!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kagerou Project**

* * *

**Chapter 2:**

Kano was forced out his daze when he heard an extremely large crash of thunder resonate outside his window. _This storm seems like it'll never end,_ he mused to himself as he moved into a sitting position on his bed.

His blinds were closed, so he would not be able to see the rain pounding against his window, but this did little to quell his feelings of anxiety.

For one the deceiver hated storms, because they were loud and unpredictable, which he thought mirrored his personality a little too well. And in addition to that, he felt an aching weight in his chest that contained an emotion he couldn't quite identify.

"It's really bad out," Kano said to himself quietly. "I wouldn't want to be out in that thunder and lightning." The blond propped a pillow in his lap and leaned against the backboard of his bed. "I wonder if Tsubomi's still angry at me right now." He wondered out loud in a voice that sounded more like curiosity than anger or sadness.

Scenes of their fight flashed through his head as he tried to recall exactly what happened roughly two days before.

"...Nah, she just over-reacted to what I said," he concluded in his solitude.

He heard shuffling from the living room and his cat-like eyes swiveled to the digital clock on his counter, it read 10:38.

_Mary's still up? _ He wondered as he rose from his bed. _She's probably waiting for Seto to return._ Kano's eyes momentarily flashed red as he opened his door, and by the time he crept down the hall to the living room his 'eyes' were activated. Instead of his actual disheveled physique Kano appeared completely calm and collected, despite the raging storm and Kido's extensive disappearance.

What he saw took him aback, for he did not expect to see a very drenched looking Danchou in the living room. Suddenly, he felt the weight that had settled in his chest disappear.

Kano silently watched Seto and Kido from the arch that led from the bedroom hallway into the living room.

Seto was putting his green umbrella off to the side to dry, while a soaked Kido was placing a blanket on Mary, who apparently had passed out on the couch in front of the TV with Momo.

"So what are you going to do?" Seto asked fixing his gaze on Kido as he took off his water logged shoes.

She shrugged nonchalantly. "Probably change and go to bed."

"You know what I mean." Seto sighed and then he added, "You should also take a hot shower and get some food."

The green-haired girl ignored the first part of his statement and responded by saying, "I don't really feel up to eating now-"

"Eh?!" Mary uttered as she shot up into sitting position, causing a startled Kido to take a step back. Rubbing her eyes she mumbled to Seto, "You're home… that means you found Danchou, right?"

"Yep, er... Well it's more like Danchou found me," Seto replied. He was going to ask Mary if she wanted him to carry her back to her bed, but a shadowy figure in the archway caught his attention. "Ah Kano you're still up?"

Suddenly all of their eyes turned to look at the deceiver who had gone unnoticed the past few minutes.

Kano put on a cheeky grin and spread his arms out. "Ah~ Kido!" He exclaimed looking dramatically away from everyone. "You've finally returned-"

All of a sudden the Kido everyone though was near the couch was brushing past Kano without of word of acknowledgement. Out of the corner of his eyes, Kano could see a flash of red when she bumped into his hand and he let out a small, _"tsk."_

As she disappeared into her bedroom Kano called out, "Aww, were you trying to use your powers to try to sneak past me Tsubomi-chan? I'm hurt."

While everyone had been looking at Kano and he had been looking away, the green-haired girl had felt a wave of despair overcome her senses. Kido could not stand the thought of being in the same room as him and had used her 'eyes' to disappear. Just as she had been about to make it through the archway, Kano had extended his arms, bumping into her and nullifying her invisibility.

Kido who was now also embarrassed gave no response to the sixteen year old boy's teasing, so he turned back to the remaining members of Mekakushi Dan that were in the living room. By this time Momo was awake with a very puzzled expression on her face (seeing as she had woken up to Kano's taunting voice.)

"Kano was that really necessary?" Seto asked as Kido's door slammed shut.

"What?" Kano replied innocently. "I was just welcoming her home."

Seto gave him a look of disappointment before turning to Mary, "Well it's time we get you to bed," he said, as he scooped up the white-haired girl. "...Don't stay up too late," he suggested before walking past Kano.

Momo who was now semi-awake turned to Kano and asked, "What just happened?"

"Nothing much," Kano replied, although he could feel a new weight settling in his chest. "Danchou just came home."

Before she could ask any more questions the cat-eyed male spun on the balls of his feet and headed back to his room. "Night Momo," he called over his shoulder.

Upon entering his room Kano plopped down on his bed and rolled over to grab his phone from his nightstand. On the screen there was a new message from Seto that had arrived around 10:17 without Kano knowing.

**To: Kano**

**From: Seto**

**Message: I found her**

Smiling to himself, Kano curled his hand around his phone and placed his head on his pillow.

"That's good," he mumbled, before going to sleep.

* * *

The next morning was rather uneventful. It was a Sunday, and a few of the Mekakushi Dan members were out and about in the city.

Seto and Mary had left the apartment around 10 o'clock to go grocery shopping, while Momo had decided to take Hibiya and Ene to a section of the city they had yet to visit. Kano had finally come out of his room around 11:30 and was currently sitting idly at the kitchen table with Konoha and Shintaro who had arrived right before Momo and Hibiya had left.

The room was fairly quiet minus the sighs of boredom Shintaro made every once in a while (Momo had taken his phone since Ene was in it and she had forgotten hers at home.)

"Kano?" Konoha asked softly.

"Yes?" Kano inquired, raising his head from his arms, which rest on the table.

"I'm hungry."

"...And?"

"I'm hungry..."

Kano stared at Konoha who stared right back at him with empty eyes. Shrugging the blond turned to Shintaro who immediately stated, "I can't cook."

Konoha continued to stare at Kano and added, "Neither can I."

Kano grumbled as he stood up. It took him a minute or two, but soon enough he had a spoon, a bowl, cereal and milk out on the table.

"I can't cook either, so eat this," Kano instructed as he pushed the bowl towards Konoha. The white-eyed male frowned at the food before him, but he did not object. Instead he grabbed the box of cereal and poured the remaining handful into his bowl. In less time than it had taken Kano to get the box, bowl and milk out, Konoha had downed the last of the food.

"I'm hungry," he repeated once more.

"Where's Kido?" Shintaro asked. "Doesn't she usually do the cooking?"

Kano frowned for a second, before replying, "I don't think she has come out of her room yet."

"Is something wrong?" Konoha asked, despite the fact that he had been present at the fight.

"Ah, not that I know of," Kano replied quickly. "I'll go see if she's awake."

With that he made his way out of the kitchen.

"Well that's a lie…" Shintaro stated firmly, once Kano was out of sight.

"Hm…?" Konoha asked as he took a gulp of the milk straight from the carton.

"...It's nothing…"

* * *

_Knock Knock_

Kido groaned as she heard someone pound on her door.

"Yo Danchou, you up yet?" Kano asked in a voice that seemed too casual, since they hadn't resolved their dispute yet.

_Oh yeah_, Kido remembered. _We had a fight three days ago... _The grey-eyed girl groaned as she climbed out of bed, her head was killing her.

The young leader was going to reply with a casual, "yes," but when she tried to speak no words came out.

She crossed her room at tortoise pace looking for her water bottle. When Kido reached her small dresser she noted that her water bottle was at least a two days old. She glanced at the bottle only for a second, debating whether she should drink it or not, before twisting off the cap and taking a large sip.

Once she moistened her throat she looked up and was semi-startled by her appearance in the silvery mirror that hung above her dresser.

_God I look awful_, Kido thought immediately, and it was not exactly an exaggeration. Her green hair was still a bit wet from the night before, her cheeks were flushed, and there were dark bags under her eyes.

Kido made a disapproving grimace at herself through the mirror before clearing her dry throat and replying, "Yeah I'm up, I've been reading."

There was silence from the other side of the door like Kano was debating what to say. (That or he way debating the validity of her statement, though Kido didn't see why he would question it.)

Part of him wanted to walk away and tell the others that she was still asleep, whereas another part of him wanted to barge into the room to see how she was doing and apologies. Instead of going through with either one of those choices Kano placed his hands in his hoodie pockets and replied, "Ok, well #7 and 9 are in the kitchen and Konoha said he's hungry..."

Kido looked at her damp clothes, which were spread out all over the floor. "...I'll be out in a couple minutes. I just have to put a few a few things away."

Immediately, Kido began to wonder what would be the best way to deal with Kano and everyone else when she left her room. She decided to act as if nothing was wrong and to try to sweep everything under the rug.

Kano stared at her bedroom door for a moment like he was hoping he'd gain x-ray vision or something before responding with a quiet. "Ok."

It took her more than a 'few minutes,' but eventually Kido left her bedroom. If one were to look close enough they would see some concealer lightly covering the bags under her eyes, but of course no one said anything about it when she walked into the kitchen.

Kido smiled when she saw the boys lazing around the kitchen and greeted them with a, "Hello."

She received no response and frowned. Walking up to Kano she smacked the back of his head and grumbled, "Oi, don't ignore me."

At that moment Shintaro became the embodiment of a spaz, because at the sudden sight of Kido he fell off of his chair.

Whereas Kano whirled around quickly and yelped in surprise, "Wah-? Ah Kido, I'd didn't hear you come in!"

Kido's eyes narrowed at his statement and she held her breath for a moment, so she could control what her response would be.

"Idiot," Kido mumbled before moving towards the refrigerator. "I was told me you were hungry. What do you want to eat?" She asked Konoha over her shoulder.

As Kido went over a few different thing she could make with Konoha, Kano leaned back in his seat perplexed. Shintaro wasn't paying attention and Konoha was too busy marveling at the different types of pasta he could choose from, but Kano's gaze was fixated on what he thought was flickering red eyes.

"Kido...?" He asked.

The green-haired girl turned towards him, a look of annoyance in her _gray_ eyes. "Yes...?"

Kano quickly dismissed what he saw as his imagination and said, "Ah, never mind."

* * *

**So chapter two is finally up - a relief because I was a bit unsure what order I should write certain events in. Sorry about grammar mistakes and all that (I've noted it's probably my weakest point when it comes to writing.)**

**I'll try to get chapter 3 up as soon as possible, so expect it later next week.**

**Reviews are always appreciated.**

**-The Jade Empress**


	3. Chapter 3

**It seems that I have a tendency to post these chapters rather late at night... Well anyway thank you to the four people who reviewed the last chapter, the fact that you reviewed made my day!**

**Anyway here's Chapter 3 - if you like it leave a review and if you don't, first off sorry and secondly I'd love if you would tell me why in a review.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kagerou Project**

* * *

**Chapter 3**

Later that day once everyone had either gone home or found something to occupy themselves with, Kano found himself zoning out on the couch in the living room, while Kido absent-mindedly listened to her iPod.

He finally came around when he heard her cough violently into her arm.

"Do you want some water?" He asked, somewhat relieved they were on speaking terms, albeit awkward.

"Yeah," Kido grunted as she leaned back on the sofa and closed her eyes, feeling a bit queasy.

"Ok," Kano replied. He swiftly got up from his place on the couch and made his way into the kitchen. In silence he grabbed a cup and poured her some water.

"Alright Danchou, here's your water..." Kano frowned, she was not in the living room anymore. "Kido? Where'd you go?" He called out. His voice rang through the apartment, but he did not get a response.

Eyebrows furrowed he went down the hall and knocked on her bedroom door. Once again he did not receive a response so he stated, "Hey Kido, I'm coming in."

He turned the knob and the door swung open - nothing. _She's not in her room?_ The cat-eyed boy exited the bedroom and knocked on Mary's door.

"Come in," a pleasant voice replied.

Kano entered Mary's room and saw she was creating more artificial flowers to sell. Set off to the side were seven violet-colored flowers and at that moment she was in the middle of making her eighth.

"I was wondering if you've seen Kido?" Kano asked, holding up the cup of water he still had in his hand.

Humming Mary shook her head, "Nope, last time I saw her she was in the living room."

"Oh ok," Kano replied nonchalantly.

_Where'd she go_? He wondered as he left the albino to her flowers. As soon as he walked into the spacious living room Kano saw the green-haired girl's slumped over form snoozing on the couch in an awkward position.

Wanting to rub his eyes in confusion Kano walked over to the peaceful-looking girl and poked Kido's side. Despite being asleep she retaliated by swiping at his hand and then rolling onto her other shoulder, so she was facing the back of the couch.

_Well that's her,_ Kano thought as he placed the glass of water on the table, so he could nurse his stinging hand.

_I can't believe I just walked past her, _Kano thought to himself as he sat down on the couch opposite of her. Her green hair was plastered across her face and her mouth was ajar.

"Ah, Tsubomi-chan's so much cuter when she's asleep!" He exhaled to himself.

He gazed around the room noting that it was empty before turning off his 'eyes' and sighing, _she really is..._

* * *

The next day the two had still yet to confront each other, instead they were extra mindful of what they said and put on a nervous (in Kido's case) smile.

Seto would be out working until eight o'clock that night and Mary had said earlier that morning that she would be at her flower stall a little past noon.

Momo had school that day - a fact that she complained about to the rest of the gang quite frequently, and Konoha was following Hibiya around town like a lost puppy, much the young boy's annoyance.

Because of Ene's constant jabbering, Shintaro had agreed to go buy supplies for a pie. The cyber girl had said she wanted to see how they were made.

Shintaro of course had argued logically that she could see it easily by searching a video on YouTube, but the NEET had lost the argument when she threatened to delete a file labeled "Poems" on his home computer…

The apartment door was shoved open by the sweaty young man around 1 o'clock.

"You can do it Master," cheered Ene through his headphones. "You're almost there! A few more steps! The counters are right over there! Remember use your arms, not your back!"

"Ene," Shintaro muttered under his breath in a threatening fashion.

"Yes Master?" She asked cheerfully.

"Be quiet for a second."

"Hmph, you know you wouldn't be this tired and sweaty if you went outside more," she quipped, before floating to the corner of the screen.

After placing the shopping bags on the counter Shintaro walked over to a chair and slumped over in defeat.

"Eh-!" Ene yelled. Making Shintaro quickly get his phone out of his back pocket.

"Sorry for sitting on you," he apologized quickly, lowering his head.

Ene shrugged and flew so close to the center of the screen that all he could make out was an eye and part of her nose.

"Master! You can't sit down just yet! You still have to make the pie!"

Shintaro let out a sigh of dismay and then he perked up at a thought, _But__… I can't cook, _he thought gleefully.

"But Ene, you know I can't cook," he stated cheerfully.

"Then… how are we supposed to make the pie?" The cyber-girl asked, slowly moving back, so the rest of her body could be seen. Her expression was dark and there was a scary moment of silence for the NEET.

"Eh!" Shintaro squeaked slightly panicked. "W-why don't we ask K-kido or H-hibiya to do it?"

Ene took a second to think before replying happily, "Ok!"

_I can't deal with these 180 degree changes_, Shintaro thought. Grasping the kitchen table for support he stood up without too much trouble. "Let go find her," he said with Ene in hand.

"Find who?" Kano inquired suddenly from the doorway, causing Shintaro to let out a high pitched squeak.

"K-kido!" Shintaro quickly replied, before turning around. When he saw it was only Kano, the NEET fiddled with his jacket, pretending that he hadn't just screamed like a girl.

"Ah," Kano replied, not even trying to hide the amusement in his voice. "I'll join you then." He gestured to the doorway and added, "After you."

Shintaro lowered his head in shame and semi-rushed through the doorway. In that instant he managed to knock into something and was sent tumbling into the living room. The NEET saw a flash of red before his eyes, which for some reason scared the crap out of him. When he hit the ground his body made a loud 'oomph,' which was soon accompanied by a loud 'crack,' when one of the small plant pots Mary kept inside the house smashed to the ground a few feet away.

Kano burst out laughing and slapped his thigh. "My God! I think you might be worse than Mary," the deceiver wheezed. His laughter rang loudly through the apartment. "I don't get it, how can you trip over nothing? And you even managed to break one of Mary's pots!"

Shintaro was about to make an objection when he noticed there was nothing trip-worthy near the doorway, in fact the area was cleared, so that the group could have easy access to the kitchen. Looking at the ground he blushed bright red. _I thought something smashed into me, but I guess I really did trip over nothing…_

He glanced at the terracotta pot that lay in pieces to his right, a foot or two away, and furrowed his eyebrows. _How did I manage to knock that over?_

Shintaro's thoughts were disturbed and Kano ceased his laughter when the two of them heard a bedroom door slam shut.

No one came into the living room.

Kano put his hand out to help Shintaro up from the ground and the NEET accepted it gratefully, only to wince at the stinging in his hand.

Noting his display of pain Kano said, "Why don't you go wash your hand out in the sink? I'll go check out what's going on."

Shintaro who was now solely focused on the blood that was pouring from hand (an exaggeration on his part, seeing as his hand was only a bit scraped up from sliding against the wooden floor,) nodded, and with tears in the corner of his eyes he left to tend to his hand.

While the boy in the red jersey walked into the kitchen Kano made his way to the dimly lit hallway that served as the pathway to all the bedrooms in the house. From a quick glance he noted that Mary's door was the only one left wide open, whether it was because she didn't care or she had forgotten to close it he didn't know. Seto's door was closed, but Kano knew that it wasn't possible for the mind reader to have closed the door since he wasn't home.

_So it was Kido that slammed her door shut earlier_, he reasoned.

Leaning against her door Kano listened for any noise coming from her room, but all he could make out was silence. Just as he was about to knock he heard thud from the other side of the door, the sound of something breaking and a stream of curse words from Kido.

Kano pushed her door open and surveyed the room for the green-haired girl. It was dark as ever, but he could make out her silhouette near her dresser.

"What's wrong?" Kano asked, concern almost seeping into his voice.

"N-nothing!" Kido responded, barely covering the unsteadiness in her voice. "What's so important that you needed to barge in here for?" She asked, getting better control over her tone and crossing her arms over her chest.

"I heard something break," Kano stated, keeping his eyes trained on Kido.

"Gees Kano, I was changing for godsake," Kido replied. "I hit my glass on accident and it fell over."

"Well-" Kano was cut off.

"-Anyway," Kido began rather hurriedly. "I think it's time you and I've had a small chat about what went on the other day."

"Oh yeah," Kano replied half-heartedly.

"Yeah," Kido replied in an unhappy manner. She turned away from the cat-eyed boy and faced the mirror hanging over her dresser. "I'll meet you outside in a second, first I have to clean up this mess."

Kano's eyes swiveled to the glass that lay on the floor. Bits has scattered around the room, but the majority of the fragments lay right next to the dresser itself.

Kano tilted his head and smiled. "I'll wait outside," he stated in a cheery voice that could only be conveyed through the use of his 'eyes.' In reality he was feeling quite sour, because he knew she was not telling him something and then there was the fact that he did not feel up to talking about what had occurred a few nights prior.

He left the room without another word.

* * *

Once Kano had left, Kido uncrossed her arms from her chest and gazed at her palms. Her hands were pink from skidding on the ground, and both of them were bleeding due to a few brownish-orange colored shards that had pierced her skin.

Kido went to open one of the drawers of her dresser, but a flash of crimson caught her attention. The green-haired girl focused her gaze on her reflection as the last of the red faded out of her eyes.

* * *

_"...Someone save me..."_

* * *

**DUN-DUN-DUUUUUUN! I wonder what's wrong with Kido?**

**Anyway, like usual reviews are always appreciated *nudge nudge* and hopefully I can write/post the next chapter soon.**

**-The Jade Empress**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys! Happy August 15th, make sure your super safe: watch out for trucks, be careful with fire and you probably shouldn't go swimming in the ocean anytime soon...**

**Anyway sorry for the wait, I was in a Forensics Science camp in DC for 10 day and then had to go to another camp as soon as I came back, so I've barely had any time to write recently.**

**So here's the latest chapter, hope you enjoy it ^^**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kagerou Project**

* * *

**Chapter 4**

* * *

_"...Someone save me..."_

* * *

Kano was waiting outside the Mekakushi Dan's apartment for at least ten minutes before Kido finally emerged wearing her usual outfit. Her stony expression mirrored his own feelings and the two awkwardly met each other's gaze before quickly turning away.

With her hands in her pockets Kido walked past Kano and stated, "Let get going. We… have a lot to talk about…"

"Ah, you're quite forward today Tsubomi-chan~ Am I sensing a confession of some sort?"

"Enough joking around Shuuya," Kido replied rather firmly. "If you can't do that then I'll go on a walk by myself."

Kano gulped nervously and quickly closed his mouth. _She's definitely not going to take any tricks today_. The deceiver sighed to himself as he sped up his pace to catch up to her.

The pair walked in silence for a few minutes, passing numerous streets the two of them had walked down together before. Moving in silence Kido led Kano towards an unknown destination and Kano followed her with his hands behind his head, grinning to passers-bys.

To tell the truth the green-haired girl had no idea where she was going - all she knew was that she needed to get out of their apartment, because she was beginning to feel a bit uneasy.

Once some time had passed the two of them were at an empty clearing that overlooked the entire city.

Kido, who was being her usual stoic self, was leaning against a tree with her eyes closed (something she'd been doing for a couple of minutes,) so Kano decided that things would end up going a lot quicker if he was the one to break the ice.

"Soooooo~" He drawled out as he slunk over to Kido. "You wanted to talk?"

"Y-yes," Kido replied slowly opening her eyes, "I do." There was an awkward silence hanging in the air before the girl continued. "I-I wanted to apologize for my behavior the other day." She turned away from Kano and looked at the ground, the sky, the city - anything but him. "I took things way too personal and reacted in an unleader-like fashion, and for that I'm sorry."

From the expression she was making Kano could see that she was having trouble finding the right words to say.

"Kido, I'm also at faul-" he tried to say.

"-Kano," she interrupted. "Please, let me apologize. I-I shouldn't have said what I did, it wasn't right of me, it wasn't fair to you and… and I shouldn't have done it while the others were there."

Kido slid down the trunk of the tree and let out a sigh, "I-I just-" From her sitting position she grabbed the sides of her head with her hands. "-I just get so irritated when you say things like that!"

Kano felt slightly distant as she half-apologized and half confessed her inner turmoil to him. He knew deep down that what he had said was equally, possibly even more unreasonable than what she had said, but he could not get an apology to form on his lips.

Originally his offhanded comment had been to get an extra laugh out of the gang, but it had escalated so quickly that he had not even realized what he had said until Kido had run from him.

Bending down in front of her, Kano gently pushed back her purple hood, so he could get a better look at her face. To keep Kano from seeing her completely helpless state Kido wiped the tears from her glassy grey eyes with the back of her hand and bit her bottom lip to keep it from trembling.

The two stared at each other for what seemed like eternity, but was really just a few minutes, for very different reasons. Kido was looking into the deceiver's eyes in hopes of a response – something to break the silence, while Kano was trying to figure out what to say.

* * *

Kano's Subconscious:

"S-s-so what are we going to do?" Kano's red-eyed mirage asked with a smirk across its face. This_ thing_… this monster,was what Kano called Kano II.

"I-I don't know what to say. I-I don't know what I'm feeling," Kano replied as he collapsed to his knees. "What am I supposed to do?"

"Well I don't know what we're s-s-supposed to do, but I do know what not to do," the red-eyed clone replied. Then in a sing-songy voice Kano II said, "You're absolutely, positively,_ not_ s-s-supposed to tell _her_ how you feel!"

"What am I feeling?" Kano asked as he clawed at the right side of his chest. "This weight, it keeps coming back…"

"Oooh, s-s-s-smart boy," Kano II cooed, "Denying our feelings completely, are we now? It's the perfect s-s-s-strategy."

Pinching the bridge of his nose and Kano squeezed his eyes shut and he leaned forward clutching his head.

"Shut up," he muttered.

"Oh come on, you know I'm right~"

"Be quiet," Kano snapped.

"Our feelingsss would just be a burden to her, you know that. S-s-she'd be distracted by us. S-s-she wouldn't be able to focus and you know that it would put her in danger, like in the other timelines, s-s-so keep lying. Let keep our feelings hidden~"

Cackling his red-eyed counterpart began to swirl around him, making him dizzy. The darkness around him seemed to close in and it became almost suffocating.

"Stop it… just, get away from me," Kano muttered.

"Get away from you? What a laughable concept, we're one in the same. And don't you want to protect your dear _Tsubomi-chan_?" The mirage asked.

The sound of her name on the monsters lips was enough to make Kano snap completely. As soon as Kido's name escaped the Kano II's lips, Kano dove at him screaming, "I TOLD YOU TO SHUT UP!"

* * *

"…Kano?" Kido said slowly, alarm apparent in her voice. The blonde felt numb even as the green-haired girl in front of him used her fingers to wipe away tears he hadn't known had rolled down his cheeks. "What's wrong-"

"Well what do we have here?" A voice interrupted the two. "A lover's quarrel?"

Both Kido and Kano turned at the sound of a new voice only to find that a group of seven people had joined them on the isolated plateau.

"Did you know that this area isn't public property anymore? And because it's on a certain angle people below can't see that top at all?" A different person asked, their voice had an uncanny resemblance to the first speaker. "It's a perfect spot for us, when you think about it."

Kano knew something was definitely up. Each speaker had the same glazed over expression as the rest and the two that had spoken had the exact same masculine voice.

Out of the group of seven, it was a female who took the steps that closed the gap between them and the two teenagers. The green-eye women smiled at them in a kind fashion, before her head completely tilted to the side and her face went slack.

With her face void of any emotion and in the same voice as the others she said cheerfully, "Oh and snake? Didn't you know it was a bad to talk about the different timelines to your host?"

It did not seem like she was directing the question to anyone in particular, but Kano knew the words were for him.

In a somewhat daring fashion Kano glared at the women directly. As he looked at her a suspicious piece of metal on the woman's ear caught his eye and his eyebrows furrowed in concentration. The blond's eyes flickered up to glance at the other people surrounding them, and as he expected all of them had earpieces.

Instinctively, before he could stop himself, the deceiver took in a deep breath, which caused the women's green eyes to swivel towards him and smile creepily.

"Oh~ So it was you then? As expected of you Kano, you were always the screw up."

Eye's wide and mouth open in horror Kano muttered, "M-Mr. Tateyama?"

The women let out a deep chuckle that was eerie since it did not match her physical appearance. Putting her pointer finger to her lips she leaned closer to Kano and then used her nails to pinch his cheek.

"I guess so… but it's more like I'm his snake." Letting at a childish tsk the snake continued speaking freely without a care. "Humans are such stupid creatures… Simple hypnosis can render them useless… I don't even need to make them one of my hosts to control them - now that's what I call impressive."

As the snake talked, Kano realized that Mr. Tateyama's voice was not actually coming from the woman's lips, but from her earpiece - a slight difference that would be impossible to notice from far away. Upon realizing this, Kano also noted that the movement of the hypnotized woman's lips were actually a few seconds behind the words she was 'supposedly' saying.

Looking unsatisfied with Kano's analytical expression the woman applied more pressure to the blond's cheek, causing her nails to pierce his skin and him to wince in pain. "Ah~" She breathed out, "Wonderful… Just wonderful! How long has it been since I last saw that expression on your face! Was it when that girl died?"

Anger was written across Kano's face and tears were running down his cheeks. The woman's snide comment was enough to pull him out of his perceptive state.

"You!" He lunged forward.

The woman slid back in a precise fashion and crossed her arm over her chest, while Kano hit the ground.

"Now where'd the girl go?"

Kido was not near the tree anymore, in fact she was not anyway in sight.

"Urg, stupid disappearing eyes. How inconvenient," the snake's voice said from a different body, this time a young man no older than 21, as two of the zombie-like members of the group restrained Kano. "But I know how to lure her out! We'll just throw the boy over the edge. If she wants to save him she'll have to make contact with somebody…"

The snake waited a few seconds to get a reaction, but the clearing remain silent except for Kano's attempts to fight back.

"Hmph, I guess she didn't really care about you… Well anyway, you won't die from this fall, probably… So just think of this as a lesson for your snake: don't mention timelines. Ah and I guess this is perfect timing, because it doesn't really matter what I tell you since this one's almost-"

The young man who was 'talking' was sent flying backwards and in that split second Kano swore he could see crimson eyes appear out of thin air.

When the man hit the ground he let out a large 'omph,' and then he remained on the grassy floor unconscious.

The snake's voice switched to another body, "Where-"

And almost immediately they were cut off with what seemed to be a blow to the stomach. When the male bent over in pain, some invisible entity hit them across the face and sent them tumbling to the ground.

Another one unconscious, five still in motion.

Next Kano felt some of the pressure on his back disappear, and all he could hear was the screeching of someone who seemed to be tossed in the air. Instinctually now that he was partially free, Kano flipped his body around and sent a kick in the direction of the other person who was trying to keep him on the ground.

It happened so fast that the female trying to hold Kano down was unable to react and got a mouthful of his shoe.

Standing up as quickly as he could Kano noted that there were only three people left. One female, two men and he still could not figure out Kido's location.

Kano ran at the person closest to him, which happened to be a male on the shorter spectrum with bright red hair. The redhead went to punch the deceiver, but Kano evaded the punch by sidestepping it. Then the blond kneed the other man in a place he knew would hurt.

Letting out a groan of pain the redhead took a swing at Kano's head. The left side of his face felt numb and Kano stumbled back for a second to process that he was hit. Then as the anger raced through his body Kano swung his foot at the back of the man's knees.

The red-head crumpled to the ground in pain and as he tried to stand up Kano delivered a kick to the man's head that resulted in an instant knock-out.

A bit breathless from the rate at which things were happening, Kano turned to the sound of more fighting.

Much to his relief when he turned, Kano could see the purple-hoodie that he reminded him of his childhood and the green hair of the girl who wore it.

The remaining two 'minions' of the snake stood on opposite sides of Kido, panting heavily. The women with the green eyes was the first to move. She charged at Kido and threw a punch in her direction, just as the other man began his approach.

Kido took a side step, while slightly ducking, so that the punch narrowly missed her face and hit empty air. Then she grabbed the woman's extended arm and using the momentum of the women threw her over her shoulder.

The woman's body sailed through the air and hit the man who was trying to attack Kido from behind.

They lay in the ground, one on top of another, not moving.

"K-kido," Kano called as he approached her. "Are you ok?"

The green-haired girl was taking in labored breaths and her hand tightly gripped the sleeve of the unconscious woman she had tossed over her shoulder. When she turned her head towards Kano she had a trembling smile on her lips and tears in her eyes – that were still glowing an ominous red.

Her lips moved, but no words came out. In fact Kano was so focused that all he could hear was silence.

As if everything was happening in slow motion Kano watched as Kido's grip went slack and she released the woman's sleeve. Her head tilted to the left and then her body swayed to the right, and then the girl's crimson eyes rolled into the back of her head.

Screaming Kano ran forward and in the last moment dove to catch Kido. The blond managed to prevent Kido's head from hitting the ground by grabbing her shoulders.

Upon contact he could feel the tense muscles in her body relax, and her body went completely limp in his arms.

Stunned, Kano slowly turned her body around, so he could look at her face.

"Kido? Kido! Kido come on, stop playing with me." At first his voice had no emotion in it, but when he received no response his voice cracked. "Come on Kido, wake up, I know you're alright..." The blond's choked up voice then turned a bit hysterical and tears began to cloud his vision. Burying his head in to her shoulder he cried, "Oh god! I'm sorry! Just-just… just wake up already! Come on Kido, you're fine, you know that. J-just open your eyes!"

The green-haired girl did not make a sound. And she most definitely did not move.

"It-it's going to be ok Tsubomi," Kano said, more to himself the Kido, as he gathered her unconscious form in his arms. Standing up he sniffed, "You're going to be f-fine. I just… I'm going to get you home…"

* * *

**So yeah this is chapter four, hope you guys liked it. **

**Special thanks to Emerald (aka Twizler86258,) who is an awesome friend that helped me make sense of what I was trying to convey, otherwise this chapter would have been pretty confusing. She pointed out certain areas that probably only made sense in my head and from there I edited them, so thank you once again.**

**As for the seven henchmen, I don't know if this was confusing or not, but I was basing their existence on the last two episodes of the anime. They were basically the random people that surrounded Kido, Momo and Hibiya in the 11th episode (I think) and the three men with the guns that tried to stop the Mekakushi Dan when they were trying to find Mr. Tateyama's lair. I figured why not put some more drama into this story? **

**Anyway I hope you guys like this chapter, sorry for the wait and if you can please review!**

**-The Jade Empress**

**P.S. HAPPY KAGEROU DAY! LET'S ALL SURVIVE THE 15TH TOGETHER!**


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